Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Although pricey, pine nuts are one of my favorite nuts to add to dishes.  This nut, known as pignolo in Italy, pinhao in Portugal and Pinon in Spain is mild tasting in its raw form, but when it is toasted it takes on a very pleasant nutty taste.  Even though they are expensive, a little goes a long way.  I decided to pair the nuts with one of my favorite pastas.  Pappardelle is sometimes hard to find and the price jumps all over the place.  A one pound bag at the Fresh Market costs over $5.00.  But at Trader Joe’s you can find it for $1.99.  I have also found pappardelle at T.J. Max, believe it or not.  My favorite kind of Pappardelle is one with ridged edges.  It just looks so pretty on the plate.

I have been experimenting with lots of pasta dishes lately because we have tentative plans for a trip to Italy next year.  It is always fun to set the stage, so to speak. I love this simple combination.  You can’t get more Italian than pappardelle, prosciutto and pine nuts.  The brown butter and lemons just bring it all together in a palate pleasing way.  Oh, the alliteration!

This is a very easy dish to pull together.  You can have it on the table in no time.

Earlier in the week, the temperatures in Lake Lure got down to the low 40’s overnight.  The lake looked like this in the morning.  The lake temperature and the air temperature created a smoke-like effect on the surface of the lake.  I never tire of our view and the wonders of nature.

PAPPARDELLE WITH PINE NUTS, PROSCIUTTO AND BROWN BUTTER (Adapted from Gourmet)

3/4 pound pappardelle pasta
1 sticke (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into small pieces
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted lightly
thin lemon wedges as an accompaniment

Cook the pappardelle according to package directions in a pot of salted boiling water.  While the pasta is cooking, in a skillet heat the butter over moderately high heat, swirling it, until it is golden brown, remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, the prosciutto, the parsley and the pine nuts.  In a bowl toss the pappardelle with the butter sauce and salt and pepper to taste and serve it with the lemon wedges.  Serves 6 as a first course and 3 to 4 as an entree.

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I have been kind of dreading this milestone birthday. But so far, it has been a good day. I received the gift that I wanted first thing this morning. I have received phone calls and Facebook wishes. David made me breakfast, and he will be making a cedar-planked salmon in our fireplace tonight for dinner. It turned cold overnight. The winds have been howling, and our roof was pummeled with acorns dropping from the trees, keeping me awake most of the night. Despite all that, it’s been a day full of small, thoughtful surprises, like the gift hampers brisbane filled with love and warmth.

I have been wanting a panini press for a long time.  We have so much company that I thought it would be nice to have one that will make up to four sandwiches at a time.  When I saw the size of the box, I thought, “Oh no, where am I going to store this monster?”

But it turned out not to be as large as I expected and it is a beauty.  I have enough room to store it.

I have a lot to learn about paninis, so if any of you have suggestions or great recipes I would really appreciate your comments.  My first attempt was delicious, but needed more ingredients.  I used this recipe that I have posted before, but used smoked turkey instead of ham.  I always picture a panini with lots of ingredients and am looking forward to experimenting.

We will be having our big birthday celebration in a couple of weeks in Florida.  David’s birthday is in 20 days so it will be a joint endeavor.  Many friends and family will join us for dinner, music and dancing.  Our friends with the Malt Shoppe Memories will be performing.  I’m just anxious for David to turn 70 also so that I don’t have to be the only oldest person that I know.  Please tell me that 70 is the new 50!  Thank you for all of your wishes.  It mean so much to me.

You can gather, from my previous post, that we have been eating well lately. . . . almost too well.   That is why, that on occasion, I have to step away from those dishes redolent with fat, calories and sugar.  It is my cleanse so to speak.  I was reading one of my DIL’s Nutrition Newsletters recently and it was recommended that people in my age group (he-hem) should strive for 11 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  Eleven, really?  That is 3 servings per meal, plus 2 snacks.  I am not sure that I can reach that goal, but it has made me think more seriously about the choices that I make.

One of the soups that makes me feel virtuous, is this recipe from Cooking Light.  It is full of vegies like carrots, celery, onions and spinach.  It is easy to prepare, especially when you use a rotisserie chicken and it is tasty and good for you.  The orzo pasta adds just the right amount of noodle feel to the mix.  What more could you want for an easy fix to the “I’ve overdone it blues”?  To your health.  Enjoy.
CHICKEN AND ORZO SOUP

• 1 (32-ounce) container fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes ( Or meat from a rotisserie chicken) 
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3 fresh parsley sprigs
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Bring 1 3/4 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add orzo; cook 10 minutes or until done.
2. 2. While orzo cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add carrot, celery, onion, and chicken; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 2 1/4 cups broth, 1 1/4 cups water, parsley, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard herb sprigs. Add orzo, spinach, juice, salt, and pepper; simmer 1 minute.

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Photo Courtesy of Rezaz

Asheville North Carolina is a mecca for fine dining. One of the top hot spots in town is a Mediterranean restaurant called Rezaz (pron. “ray-zuhs”), located just blocks from the entrance to The Biltmore Estate and which may have been developed with the aid of services like the new hampshire tax id.  Chef/ owner Reza Setayesh has traveled and trained widely resulting in a worldly palate. His emphasis in the dining room is on Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, but at his Chef’s Table anything goes. He loves to give free rein to his culinary expertise.

When Sam ( My Carolina Kitchen ) and her husband Meakin invited us to join them, along with BIL and SIL Stuart and Sandy, for  a chef’s table dinner we immediately accepted.  Meakin arranged for us to enjoy a 5 course French Provencal dinner with wine pairings.  The kitchen was warm and inviting on a rainy night.

A nice touch was the pandelier overhead.  It is a metal sculpture made from saute pans used during the restaurant’s first decade.

We were fortunate to have a highly trained waiter to explain all of the chef’s dishes to us.  Our anticipation was rewarded with the following courses.

The first course consisted of three seafood preparations.  At the top left is a Smoked Salmon Rillette served with a toasted baguette and sliced radishes.  Bon Appetit has a similar recipe here.  Next to the salmon is Moule Curry (Mussels in a curry sauce with breadcrumbs).  At the bottom is a Trout and Crab Galantine ( A Trout roll stuffed with crab) with arugula pesto.

Our second course was a Pan Seared Sushimi Grade Cobia (Swordfish) a la Provencal, Sauteed French Gnocchi, Seared Scallops and Summer Vegetable Ratatouille.   My, oh my, this was delicious.  Summer on a plate for sure.

The next course was one of my favorites.  It was a Duck Leg Confit in a Cherry Gastrique Sauce.  The duck was moist and crispy from cooking in its own fat.  With it were Yukon Gold Potatoes and Sauteed Spinach.

The next entree course was a study of three lamb preparations; a Grilled Lamb Chop, Lamb Navarin (Stew) and Lamb Gigot (Roast with French thyme and wild rosemary).  It was served with a Parsnip and Potato Mash,  and an Arugula Pesto.  It was wonderful, but we were getting full.

For dessert we had a Summer Berry Clafouti and a Lemon and Berry Sorbet with a Touille Cookie.  The sorbet was so refreshing and the clafouti was just the right size.  Next time I make one, it will be a bright mix of berries like this.

As we drove back over the mountain from Asheville to Lake Lure we were sated, happy and thankful that we could spend such a lovely evening with friends.  It was a truly memorable experience.

We recently spent a wonderful afternoon and evening with one of my favorite bloggers.  Sam of My Carolina Kitchen, her husband Meakin, and his brother Stuart and his wife Sandy journeyed from Murphy, NC to Asheville for an evening of dining at one of their favorite restaurants, Rezaz.  They asked us to join them at The Chef’s Table for a 5 course Provencal dinner.  There will be more about our evening in my next post.  Since they had not been to Lake Lure before, David and I invited them over for hors d’oeuvres and an afternoon on the lake.

I attempted to keep the appetizers light in anticipation of our full dinner.  We served a French Rose wine to keep the French theme going.  I served a simple platter of peppered dry-aged salami with hot house cucumbers, this red pepper cheesecake with crackers and grapes, and these mini quiches.  I had been wanting to make these mini-quiches for a long time.  They proved to be very easy to assemble.  Many of the steps can be done ahead of time.  Both the crust and filling have aged white cheddar cheese.  The leek and sweet pepper filling was a perfect choice.

The recipe was adapted from Williams-Sonoma’s Hors D’Oeuvre Cookbook.  I think my mini-muffin pan had larger circumference holes than what the recipe called for.  Mine measured 2-inches and I used a 2 1/2-inch biscuits cutter to cut out the pastry rounds.  Just measure what you have and cut the rounds 1/2-inch larger.  Also I had leftover pastry and filling because I made only 24 quiches.  I plan to make these again and plan to get creative with the filling.

We enjoyed spending time with the Hoffers and I can hardly wait to tell you about our dinner.  I know Sam will be posting about it also.

Here is a preview of the ambiance for the 5 course French dinner at the Chef’s Table at Rezaz.

LEEK AND SWEET PEPPER MINI-QUICHES

Cheddar Pastry:
1/4 pound white Cheddar cheese, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
2 tablespoons cold water

In a food processor, pulse the cheddar cheese chunks until crumbly.  Add the flour and salt.  Pulse until cheese is finely crumbled.  Add the cold butter pieces and pulse until it resembles fluffy bread crumbs.  Drizzle 1 lightly beaten egg over mixture and pulse twice.  Scrape down bowl sides.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cold water over the mixture and pulse until a rough mass forms.  If the mixture doesn’t come together, add another tablespoon of water.

For the Filling:
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 leek, white part only, or 2 large shallots, finely chopped
1/2 small red or green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 pound dry-aged white cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place the Cheddar pastry on a lightly floured work surface and shape into a smooth ball.  Divide in half.  Roll out half into a large round 1/8-inch thick, pushing the dough outward from the center and rotating it about a quarter turn each time you roll, sprinkling more flour underneath as needed.  Using a 2 to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many pastry rounds as possible and ease them very gently into the cups of a mini-muffin pan.  Gather up the scraps, reroll, cut out additional rounds, and line additional cups.  Repeat with the remaining dough half, working in batches if necessary.  You should have 48 lined cups in all.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  In a small saute pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.  Add the leek and saute gently, stirring occasionally, until it is tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.  In a bowl, combine the leek, bell pepper and cheese.  In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the eggs until they are blended, then whisk in the cream, mustard, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne.  Add the egg mixture to the cheese mixture and whisk to combine.  Pour 1 tablespoon of the filling into each of the pastry shells, evenly distributing the solids and liquid.

Bake the quiches until they are puffy and golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool for 5-10 minutes (they will sink a little as they cool).  To loosen them from the muffin cups, run a then-bladed knife around the sides, then carefully lift out of the cups.  (At this point, you can allow them to cool for an hour o two, and then reheat them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  They will not be as as crisp, however.)  Arrange on a platter and serve.

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